Paramedic who apprehended a violent criminal is awarded police commendation

25 May 2017

A paramedic working in Whipps Cross has received a
police commendation after apprehending a suspect who assaulted a
police officer and then attempted to flee the scene.

Priscila Currie, 34 from Leyton, was driving down Hoe Street,
E17 while on duty on 29 March when she saw a man acting violently
toward two police officers.

She recalls, “I remember seeing the man lash out at one of the
police officers and thought I better pull over to see if they
needed any assistance.

“As I got out of the car I could see that the man was resisting
arrest and they were attempting to handcuff him. As I went over to
help, the man pushed himself and the officer over a wall.

“My instinct reaction was to jump over the wall after them and I
could see that one of the police officers had his arms trapped
underneath the suspect and was unable to handcuff him. At that
point, I managed to apprehend the suspect and keep him still long
enough for the other officer to arrest him. Then, within seconds,
more officers arrived to take over.

“In the moment, you don’t think about your own personal safety –
you just want to do what’s right.”

An officer from the Metropolitan Police Service said: “Although
my colleague and I only sustained minor cuts and bruises, which
Priscila cleaned up and put plasters on, this would have been much
worse if she had not helped us and our injuries could have been far
worse.

“She did not have to do this and we are eternally grateful for
her help.”

Priscila, who has worked for London Ambulance Service for five
year and been a paramedic for the last three years, was nominated
for a police commendation for her efforts and was presented her
award at a ceremony in London on Thursday 11 May. The commendation
recognises the professionalism, team work, bravery and quick
thinking of recipients.

Speaking of the award, Priscila said; “I never expected to
receive an award for my actions – I was just trying to help. Across
the emergency services, we all feel like family and you do
everything you can to support each other.

“The ceremony was fantastic; it was an incredibly proud moment
and I had a huge smile on my face the whole day.”

Ends

London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the busiest emergency
ambulance service in the UK that provides healthcare that is free
to patients at the time they receive it.

We have over 5,000 staff, who work across a wide range of roles
based in 70 ambulance stations.

We serve more than nine million people who live and work
in the London area. We take over 1.8 million emergency calls a
year.